The windfall effect: Why cancelled meetings feel longer than the clock suggests

The unexpected cancellation of a meeting is often greeted with a sense of relief, yet research from Rutgers University suggests that this “found time” triggers a profound shift in how we perceive the clock.

According to a study, Gained Time Is Expanded: Examining the Psychological and Behavioural Consequences of Gaining Time, unexpectedly gaining time alters our perception of its duration, making a surprise free hour feel significantly longer than a standard 60-minute block. This psychological expansion occurs because we contrast the new freedom against the immediate expectation of being busy, creating a unique sense of opportunity.

Gabriela Tonietto, an associate professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School and the lead author of the study, explained that an hour gained feels longer than 60 minutes because of this deviation from our mental schedule. In a series of surveys involving more than 2,300 participants, the data showed that “windfall time” feels more abundant than an hour already scheduled to be free. This sense of abundance directly influences how individuals choose to spend those newly opened moments, often leading them to take on more substantial tasks than they otherwise would.

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The researchers found that when people operate under this perceived expansion of time, they naturally gravitate towards longer and more involved activities. For instance, an employee with an unexpected free hour might opt for a 45-minute project over a 15-minute administrative task, simply because the time feels more expansive. Similarly, an employee might choose to walk to a nearby coffee shop for a deliberate break rather than grab a hurried cup in the office breakroom. Whether the chosen activity is productive or restful, the sense of abundance makes a wider range of actions feel possible.

However, the study also indicates that the timing of these gains matters. Tonietto noted that while the sense of abundance is powerful, the more unexpected the gain is, the more likely a person is to lean towards leisure. Last-minute cancellations often serve as a psychological signal to downshift, leading to a mental reset rather than a surge in output. This suggests that while flexibility is a valuable tool for maintaining a healthy perspective on workload, the suddenness of the shift plays a major role in determining the eventual outcome of that free time.

Ultimately, these findings provide a window into how the structure of a workday shapes our mental wellbeing. While many professionals operate under a perpetual sense of insufficient time, the windfall effect provides a necessary counterweight that can refresh one’s perspective. As the study suggests, when a commitment unexpectedly disappears from the calendar, the most effective response is often to simply embrace the gift and use the perceived abundance to reset for the tasks ahead.